Sunday, September 13, 2015

Sunday's Author Spotlight: Ashley Ehlers

Today I’m excited to have author Ashley Ehlers on the
Sunday’s Author Spotlight. Ashley Ehlers writes Erotic Romance, Paranormal and
YA Horror and is the author of the Annabelle’s Erotic Nightmare and the
Harvesting series.

Let’s learn more about Ashley and her books on today’s Sunday’s
Author Spotlight!

About 'Wants of an Incubus' (Annabelle's Erotic Nightmare #1):

Nineteen year old Annabelle hasn’t seen her boyfriend in
months, let alone heard his own voice. One night her emotions take over and she
can’t help but think of him. When sleep comes, so does her boyfriend. But it’s
only a dream, right?

Deep down, she knows that this one night stand with the love of her life is but
a dream. However the next morning she’s in for a shock.

Those nagging feelings she had while with her dream Henry may have been real,
telling her that that dream might actually have been a nightmare after all. A
nightmare where she may have bonded her soul to a creature that goes bump in
the night.

With the help of her mother, who’s a witch by the way and in more ways than
one, her talking cat and her unwanted desires towards the nightmare that looks
like her Henry, Annabelle will have to defeat the demon that has now crept into
her life.

About 'Needs of an Incubus' (Annabelle's Erotic Nightmare #2):

Henry is back and Annabelle couldn’t be happier,
especially since it’s her chance to get away from her witch of a mother. But it
isn’t long before the nightmares begin again. This time it’s more real than the
first time, causing her to have no choice but to tell Henry everything that’s
happened before he got there.

Awakening from her latest nightmare she finds yet another branding on her
forehead. But this time it’s different, it’s green. The need to find out more
leads them to a mental hospital for women where she finds someone that
resembles closely to her, to her parent’s house where she finds out more than
she wants to, and to an old woman that might actually be able to help them.

However, before she can end this nightmare she gets kidnapped by a group of
women that only want one thing- their sister back. And the only person who can
give them what they want is her mom- her real mother.

Annabelle’s nightmare isn’t over just yet and with the help of her boyfriend
maybe, just maybe she’ll be able to finally move forward from this.

About 'The Gatherers' (Harvesting #0.5):

Ashley and Jason weren't
the only ones to have an encounter with The Harvesters that day....

Coleen hasn’t been the happiest with her father remarrying, especially to the
mother that gave birth to her enemy, Virginia. Bleach blonde bimbo as Coleen
thought the moment they started high school. But since they’ve graduated, their
parents married for a year now, Coleen has seen a whole new side of Virginia
and the girls have gotten closer than ever. However the parents don’t see it,
as the girls put up a front, so they plan a getaway to the family’s cabin
before the girls go off to college.

Being away from the city is exactly what the girls wanted. Virginia even has
something special planned for Coleen on this holiday and being out in the woods
is the perfect setting for it. Though things get put on hold when their family
dog Trudy runs away and Coleen’s step mother insists she goes out and find her.
So as Coleen walks into the woods she gets a chilling sign from her step
mother, Tori, which starts a domino effect of bloody unforgettable events.

About 'The Harvesters' (Harvesting #1):

When she finds her
boyfriend shackled to a white metal table Ashley fears for the worst.

On a small road trip of dropping off a package
for Jason’s father, the young couple never thought they would be running for
their lives. Running away from supposedly friends whom in turn to be a family
of harvesters.

Human harvesters and they're looking for
something specific. And Ashley just might be the perfect match.

Excerpt 'The Harvesters':

“Jason,” I whisper.

Listening but hear nothing in response. Cold slithers up
my spine. Curling my toes I look around the room. Darkness surrounds, closing
in on me. Holding my arms tight across my chest I glance up to the basement
door checking that no one is behind me.

Taking the last few steps down, the wooden planks groan
under my weight as I call out his name again. This time someone mumbles back.
Twisting my view, a light shines somewhere deep in the basement. Moving
forward, on my right a small hallway lines the side of the stairwell. At the
end is a poorly lit room with Jason laying on a table.

Running towards him I clutch my fingers around the edge
of the table. Metal shackles bind his hands and feet while duct tape covers his
mouth. Squeezing my eyes shut I whisper, “Sorry,” then rip it off. Clamping a
hand down on his mouth as a scream erupts from his throat.

Opening my eyes, tears well up in his. Removing my hand I
whip the tape off of my fingers, it flutters down beside him. Going onto the
metal shackle around his left wrist I ask, “Does anything hurt? How’d they get
you? Where are they? How many?” In one big breath, trying not to fumble over my
words as the shackle starts to tear at my fingertips.

“No major damages.” Seeing what the shackle was doing to
me he says, “You’ll have to find something to unlock them.”

Surveying the room metal trays lay on the counters with
stainless steel implements. Gleaming underneath the lights, “I don’t see
anything-” catching sight of a crowbar leaning against a pile of crates.

Sprinting I clasp my hand around it. Slipping it under
and above his hand I lift in hopes of making the shackle a little bit bigger.

It works slowly. “Come on,” I breathe.

“That’s it. You’re almost there.” Straining it moves up
and he’s able to slide his hand out.

Releasing a breath, “Okay, next one.” Leaning over him to
work on his right wrist but before I start my eyes are drawn towards a little
red mark on the inside of his arm.

“They drugged you?” Looking over the needle mark I caress
it.

“Ash, forget it.” He demands, “Just focus on getting me
out.”

Nodding, the metal cuff bends under my will. Getting
close to finishing, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Gazing up at
Jason, his eyes have grown wide. Turning my neck slowly in the corner of my eye
the scarred man stands behind me. Swiftly lifting his arm he throws an axe.

Falling to the ground, the axe flies over us and
nose-dives into the wall with a thump.Greasy, dirt filled hair covers my face as he walks around the table to retrieve
it. Shakily pulling myself up I continue to work. Not taking my eyes off the
man I get Jason’s right hand free.

Jumping into a sitting position he takes the crowbar,
pushing me away. “Go!”

“No,” I scream. Opening my mouth to say something else
but the sound of the scarred man ripping out his axe chokes me. Franticly
moving my eyes from him to the crowbar I dive for it.

“No,” Jason moves it out of my reach, shoving me away
again.

The man starts to come towards me. Biting my lip I
whimper, “No.”

Giving one last look towards Jason I shoot off down the
hallway.Taking hold of the railing I
begin to swing myself up the steps. Lightning flashes in from the open shelter
doors. A silhouette of a small body freezes me in my tracks. Taking in deep
breaths he charges.

“No you don’t!” he shouts over the storm.

Jolting up the stairs, he swings an arm at me and silver
glistens as another lightning bolt strikes. Grazing my right calf with a knife,
I grab the door knob hefting it open. Slamming it in his face I hurry to lock
it.

Interview with Ashley Ehlers:

Tell us a little more about who Ashley Ehlers is?

Well, I’m newly married to my Marine! I’m blissfully
happy and I’m finally in the place where I’m supposed to be. Now I’m fully
working on my writing career and loving it! I’m a book whore, you can find my
reviews here http://paranormalsisters.blogspot.com.
I tried the college thing but it wasn’t for me (though that’s where I met my
hubby so something great came out of it), then I tried beauty school for
becoming a Nail technician but nothing satisfies me like writing does so I’m
devoting all my time to it. I’m an animal lover, back home my family has four
dogs and two cats. I miss them so much but now I have my own baby, a black
cockapoo named Alfred. I’m a small town girl living in San Diego. I’m the
shyest person you’ll ever meet, I love horror movies and Halloween is my
favorite holiday (though you wouldn’t be able to tell with how I look or from
my cute personality haha). I’m deadly afraid of spiders, I’m the oldest of
three, I’m absolutely girly but sometimes I don’t mind getting my hands dirty.
I’m also learning to step out of my comfort zone and not care what people think
of me.

When did you decide you wanted to become an author and
write your own book?

I wrote for fun (still do, but yeah…) a couple years
(2008) before I even found out about self-publishing (2010). Then it wasn’t
till two years later when I decided to publish my first book. Keary Taylor was
the one to inspire me from watching her and her blogging about her experience
that I thought about giving it a shot. I still can’t believe I’m an author.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Do you use your
own experiences?

Inspiration can literally come from anything with me.
Like a few days ago I was playing multiplayer with my hubby on Call of Duty and
we were playing on a map where it was covered head to toe in snow and as I’m
playing I’m like, “I want to write a book with a heavily snow climate, where
the character has to survive for her life in it” and the next day things
started to form and I came up with a young adult science fiction idea. So,
we’ll see if it pans out haha. I kind of use certain experiences of mine in my
books but mainly when it comes to the romance aspect, like certain
conversations me and my hubby have had or versions of them.

Tell us more about your books? How did you come to the
idea of writing those stories?

For ‘The Harvesters’, it was around Halloween and I
wanted to write a horror. I honestly don’t remember exactly how I got the idea
but it just came to me and I originally wrote it to make a short movie of it
with my friends- that never happened though. With ‘Wants of an Incubus’, it was
based off the nightmare I had. The dream sequence in the book is the exact
dream I had, just with a little more detail in the sex department as that part
wasn’t very vivid in my dream haha.

What do you love most about being an author?

Being able to write my stories and having readers that
are just as excited as I am about them.

Can you describe your writing process? Do you have any
sort of ritual you follow?

I don’t really know if I have a process. I’ve never been
the best at brainstorming but I’m getting better at it and I think it helps me
not quit a project so soon. When I get new scenes in my head, I jump quickly to
write them done and then forgetting that story. If I ever set a ritual, it can
change quickly afterwards because of my hubby changing from day crew to night
crew or back again. I try to spend as much time as possible with him because he
works twelve plus hours, so I try not to write or read when he’s home and
awake. Though sometimes I do while he plays his video games haha. I mainly work
whenever he goes to work.

Are you a reader yourself? And what is your favorite
book(s)?

I’m quite the book addict (I’m also quite the hoarder
when it comes to free kindle books haha). Reading is like breathing to me, it
hurts if I go a day without picking up a book (unless it’s a day where my hubby
is off from work, then it’s a little bit easier to hold off the urge haha).

Some of my favorite books are ‘Anna and the French Kiss’
by Stephanie Perkins, ‘#Nerd’ by Cambria Hebert, ‘The Summoning’ by Kelley Armstrong, ‘The
Crawling Darkness’ by J.L Bryan, and ‘Breaking Free’ by Juliana Haygert.

What are your future plans in writing?

Right now I’m working on the sequel to ‘The Harvesters’,
I’m planning to have it publish sometime later this year and I’m working on the
spinoff series for my character Annabelle from my Annabelle’s Erotic Nightmare
series. Then we’ll see after that, but I do know I need to finish my Harvesting
series, my readers have been waiting too long….

What would your advice be to new aspiring authors?

Oh boy, I’m still learning myself haha. Just that writing
is work, you don’t do it for the money you do it because it’s fun so be patient
with yourself, don’t compare yourself to other authors (it’s the worst thing
you can do). Some writers can be faster than you, publishing almost every day
it feels like but so what? If you’re a slower writer compared to them, who
cares. As long as you write every day, either 500 words or 3000, at least you
sat down and wrote, right? I’m learning myself not to compare and letting the
pressure get to me. There’s a quote that helps encourage me when I start to
feel that pressure- “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until
the faucet is turned on.”- louis L’Amour- so the more you write, the faster
it’ll come to you and eventually you’ll have a finished novel.

About the Author:

Newly married Ashley Ehlers now resides in San Diego with
her husband who is currently stationed there. There in their cozy two bedroom
apartment she finds the peace she’s been looking for. As they settle into the
new chapters of their lives Ashley’s Muses are growing stronger than ever as
inspiration is around every corner in her latest adventure.

I live in the Netherlands and I’m a fulltime Nurse and a fanatic book addict. Ever since I was a little girl I read everything I can get my hands on. This blog is all about those books and many more. I hope you enjoy your time here on Maureen’s Books.

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About Me

My name is Maureen, I’m 28 years old and I live with my husband and cat in The Netherlands. And
I’m a fulltime Nurse on a Traumatology department at an Academic Hospital. As
long as I can remember my life has been filled with books and stories. I grew
up with my mom and was just the two of us for a long time. But we were never
really just ‘with the two of us’. Our house has been filled with books and
bookshelves and the books never stopped coming. I grew up reading everything I
could put my hands on from ‘Mathilda’ and ‘James and the Giant Peach’ by Roald
Dahl, till all the Harry Potter books and the Twilight series. So growing up
I’ve have been in all sorts of different worlds. I used books as an escape when
things got tough but I also used books to find my peace and somehow grew in the
woman I am today.